Pocono Mountain Regional and several other local and state police agencies were conducting a crackdown on aggressive driving throughout Monroe County for the day.

"'Aggressive driving' refers to violations like speeding, running red lights and stop signs and not using turn signals," said Laverty, a PMRP officer since 1994.

PMRP usually designates one officer to patrol for moving traffic violations.

But on certain days like Wednesday, the department assigns several officers exclusively to this task.

Laverty and four other officers concentrated on routes 196 and 611 in Mount Pocono and Coolbaugh Township and Route 940 in Mount Pocono.

"We're focusing on these particular roads based on statistical data (the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) gathers from crash reports we submit to the state," Laverty said.

The state gives highway safety grant money to conduct patrols every quarter.

When asked if any of it makes a difference, Laverty grinned and said, "It makes a difference to the people being pulled over."

Laverty planned to start by making sure road shoulders had been cleared of snow so police could safely pull over motorists. He was just getting started when he came up behind a white older-model Saturn moving slowly with a yellow Labrador retriever as its passenger on Route 940.

"We haven't been on the road five minutes and already we have here a perfect example of why we stop some drivers," he said, activating his lights and siren and radioing headquarters and any other nearby units for backup. "You can see multiple violations. This person's drifting all over the road without using any turn signals and he has no rear bumper."

With lights flashing and siren sounding, Laverty followed the Saturn for about a mile.

"They've got all this shoulder space to pull over on and they keep going," he marveled. "What are they doing?"

The Saturn's driver finally turned right onto Harvest Lane, east of Interstate 380, and pulled into a day care parking lot.

Laverty parked behind, got out and approached the Saturn's driver side. Apparently looking for a better place to park, the driver, Stanley Patrick Kaminsky, 57, of Pocono Summit, almost backed into the police car, and Laverty yelled, "Whoa, stop!"

Kaminsky showed signs of drunkenness while handing over his paperwork.

"When did you start drinking?," Laverty asked.

"I don't know," Kaminsky said. "When did I finish? I was on my way to the liquor store to get more."

Laverty administered field sobriety tests, despite Kaminsky protesting that he was too drunk to pass any of them. A breathalyzer test showed Kaminsky's breath had three to four times the legal .08 percent alcoholic content limit.

Laverty handcuffed him, read him his rights and told him he was being charged with driving under the influence, which Kaminsky said is his first DUI offense in 20 years.

Police impounded Kaminsky's car, took his keys and drove his dog back to his house while Laverty took him to Pocono Medical Center to have blood drawn.

Laverty then took Kaminsky to Monroe County Correctional Facility's Central DUI Booking Office, but the computer system was down.

Laverty drove him home and told him he would be mailed a summons instructing him when to appear in district court.

"I know I've been a jerk," Kaminsky said. "Thanks for being great."

By 12:30 p.m., Laverty was back out on the road.

Laverty pulled into the Pizza Hut parking lot on Route 196 in Mount Pocono when an officer in another unit radioed him about a red Camaro heading southbound toward Route 611. "Looks like he's got a bad inspection sticker," the officer said.

Laverty spotted the Camaro and pulled it over. The 68-year-old male driver had removed the inspection sticker from another vehicle he owned and placed it on the car he was now driving.

"I'll cite him for failing to have his car inspected," Laverty said. "I could cite him for displaying that false inspection sticker, which would be even more expensive (a $200 fine plus court costs). But he has no priors and seems like a good guy, so I'll cut him a break."

When citing a driver, an officer writes up the ticket and then has the driver sign it to acknowledge receiving it.

"If they don't, I document that they refused to sign and hand them the ticket anyway," Laverty said.

Shortly after 1 p.m., he sat in the Pioneer restaurant parking lot at the corner of routes 611 southbound and 940 westbound in Mount Pocono, waiting for someone to run the red light on Route 611 northbound and turn left onto Route 940 westbound. Minutes later, a silver Nissan Altima did just that.

"She said it was green," Laverty said when reviewing the 74-year-old female driver's information and writing up a citation for failure to stop at a red light. "No way was it green."

As the pleasant driver signed the ticket Laverty handed her, she said, "I'll pray for you."

"Nice lady," he chuckled, getting back into his car. "Some of them do make you feel bad."

Laverty then parked at St. Mary of the Mount Church at Fairview Avenue and Reeder Street, waiting for someone to run the Fairview Avenue stop sign.

"Boy, that person didn't even slow down," he said when a light green Toyota Corolla with a New Hampshire license plate blew through minutes later, at about 1:35 p.m.

"We're doing enforcement against aggressive driving, and that was aggressive," Laverty said when handing a ticket to the 22-year-old woman driving her father's car. "Slow down and enjoy the day."

Then it was back onto Route 940 westbound into Tobyhanna Township to look for one last customer before ending the shift. Looking in his rearview mirror, Laverty spotted a brown car driving behind him, pulled over and let it pass.

"Sometimes, you just get a hunch," he said. He pulled the car over into the Salvation Army Thrift Store parking lot on Summit Avenue off Route 940. "This time, it looks like we're right. This person's got a brake light not working."

The driver, a 32-year-old woman, had a child passenger and no license, though the car had a North Carolina plate.

"She didn't really answer when I asked her why she was driving without a license," Laverty said afterward. He gave her a $200 ticket.

"When other motorists see the ones we pull over, we want it to have a deterrent effect to keep others from breaking the law," he said.